Tula Pink 100 Modern Quilt Blocks Quilt

I’ve had this quilt done for a bit now…but the weather had been pretty crumby out for so long and this quilt really needed an outdoor picture to do it any sort of justice.

And then FINALLY the weather was perfect for a photo shoot – nice light, not too windy, and no rain.  Perfect.  Except…it was when we had about 75 folks over for my husband’s 35th birthday party.  I had already conferred with Diane though to see if she thought it would be rude if I snuck to the fence to take a few pictures with the perfect weather.  Since everyone there knew me, knew my ‘methods’, and my photo spot is technically where I could be watching the kids’ playing, it would be kosher.  In fact, I grabbed a couple of our friends to help me hang the quilts and got to spend some time with them while I was at it!

I pieced the 100 different Tula Pink Sampler Blocks in 2013 along with the Sew Sweetness City Sampler Sew Along.  It was a great pace to work at the quilt, 3 blocks a week, and I had all my blocks done before I knew it! 

I made blocks using fabrics from my scrap bins.  For my ‘white’ background I chose prints on white/off white.  I seem to have LOTS of it in my stash but never seem to use it.  I like the crazy depth and interest it created.  Every time you look at this quilt you’ll find something new…like that bird peaking at you in the lower/mid left of the picture above.

I did stray from the book when it came to the final layout of the blocks.  I created my own layout that someone said reminds them of a quarter of a log cabin block.  After looking…I completely agree.  When I was about 3/4 of the way through the 100 blocks, I grouped them by color and saw where I was at.  From there I was able to determine how many more purple, orange, red, brown, etc., blocks I needed to make my original layout work.  I sashed the blocks with the same white prints that I used as my background fabrics in the blocks.

When the top was finished – I sent it to Marcia Wachuta of Marcia’s Crafty Sewing and Quilting where she used her long arm to free motion quilt the piece.  She switched thread colors for each of my lines of block colors – orange for orange, brown for brown, etc.  Each block is ‘fussy’ quilted and I am really happy about the interest it added!

So what do you think!?  Have you made the Tula Pink’s City Sampler?  Has this inspired you to give it a try? 

Head on over to IHeartTulaPink to get your very own SIGNED copy of her fabulous book and get started right away! 

(PS.  Her book ‘Quilts from the House of Tula Pink’ is pretty fabulous too!)

Linking up to Finish Up Friday and SewJo Saturday!